4. Student Debt Surpasses Credit-Card Debt

For years, student debt has been on the rise as the cost of college gets more and more expensive, and tightening budgets mean financial-aid packages are tipping more people toward loans and away from grants. But according to the Federal Reserve, Americans now owe more student debt than credit-card debt. Not only that, but total student debt hit the $1 trillion mark for the first time. The Great Recession is one cause, as it pulled Americans from a weak labor market back into college or graduate school. It’s no wonder that the debate over whether a college degree is worthwhile has raged on. Getting a degree still puts graduates on a path to earn much more than high-school grads, but endless tuition hikes have called into question the very value of a degree. More than ever, anti-college advocates are pushing the idea of skipping higher education altogether for more-entrepreneurial pursuits. Unfortunately, for those still choosing college, skyrocketing tuition doesn’t appear to be waning, and neither does employers’ emphasis on degrees.